Shloka 273
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पाण्डवेषु प्रीति-वृत्तान्तः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Affectionate Disposition toward the Pāṇḍavas
नियमव्यपदेशेन गान्धारी च यशस्विनी । लोग युधिष्ठटिरके भयसे मेरे पास आते हैं। पाण्डुपुत्र युधिष्ठिर मुझे आराम देनेके लिये अत्यन्त चिन्तित रहते हैं। मैं और यशस्विनी गान्धारी दोनों नियम-पालनके व्याजसे मृगचर्म पहन कुशासनपर बैठकर मन्त्रजप करते और भूमिपर सोते हैं
niyamavyapadeśena gāndhārī ca yaśasvinī | lokā yudhiṣṭhirake bhayase mama pāsa āte haiṃ | pāṇḍuputra yudhiṣṭhira mām ārāma dene ke liye atyanta cintita rahate haiṃ | ahaṃ ca yaśasvinī gāndhārī ubhau niyama-pālanasya vyājena mṛgacarma paridhāya kuśāsane upaviśya mantrajapaṃ kurvaḥ bhūmau ca śayāvaḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Dengan alasan mematuhi pantang-larang keagamaan, aku dan Gāndhārī yang termasyhur hidup seperti pertapa. Orang ramai datang kepadaku dalam ketakutan kerana Yudhiṣṭhira; dan Yudhiṣṭhira, putera Pāṇḍu, sangat mengambil berat untuk memberiku keselesaan. Namun aku dan Gāndhārī, seolah-olah setia pada nazar, memakai kulit rusa, duduk di atas alas rumput kuśa, melafazkan mantra suci, dan tidur di atas tanah yang kosong.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical turn from royal life to disciplined simplicity: outward austerities (vows, deerskin, kuśa-seat, mantra-recitation, sleeping on the ground) symbolize an attempt at restraint and atonement, while also revealing the tension between genuine renunciation and ‘pretext’ (vyapadeśa)—the need for inner transformation, not merely external signs.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra describes his and Gāndhārī’s life in the forest as ascetics. He notes that people approach him with apprehension connected to Yudhiṣṭhira’s authority, and that Yudhiṣṭhira remains solicitous of his comfort, even as the old king and queen adopt austere practices such as wearing deerskins, sitting on kuśa-grass, reciting mantras, and sleeping on the ground.